


Not Getting There

by slightlyjillian



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Post-Canon, complicated friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-02
Updated: 2010-10-02
Packaged: 2017-10-12 09:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlyjillian/pseuds/slightlyjillian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-EW. Dorothy's next career move puts her in unfamiliar territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Getting There

"I swear you've become even more unbearable the closer we get to our journey's end," Dorothy threw up her hands only just missing the glass of water balanced between their seats. The other passenger, Nichol, was one of the Preventer officers swinging into Terra to relieve those who had been stationed at the remote base for nearly nine years.

"Me?" Nichol commented without looking away from the manual he was pretending to read. He hadn't turned the page in quite some time. Much longer than it would take. Even for a technical book.

Snatching the water, Dorothy drank furiously, with deep swallows. Even in the most advanced shuttles, the distance between Earth and the Terra projects meant that she had been rubbing shoulders with the military personnel for the better part of three months. Most of the uniforms were filled with children, boys and girls who were actually _younger_ than Dorothy Catalonia.

"Do they even know what they've signed up for?" Dorothy had pondered, watching the passengers brag and flirt and shove into each other during the initial boarding.

"I suppose we should be grateful we're sending them to a jungle planet and not mobile suit wars," the ranking officer had interjected. That had been Nichol, who she discovered was refreshingly closer to Dorothy's age if not somewhat older. Battle experience wore on bodies differently. Chang Wufei still looked about fourteen years old, even though Dorothy knew he shared the same birthday as Quatre Winner of the remarkable-growth-spurt. She had a chance to notice the difference between them when Quatre had insisted they combine their parties. Dorothy suspected that given the circumstance surrounding Quatre's conception that the blond man picked Wufei's birthday intentionally to create that exact situation. Which was the crafty way of getting Wufei to even acknowledge his birthday among friends.

It had taken some doing to get Nichol to notice her again even within the tight quarters of their charter shuttle. After his initial grumbling against her criticisms, Nichol had mostly communicated in _excuse me's_ and _can I just get around you?_ Once she had delayed long enough to notice his ears turning a dark red, after which she had wanted desperately to see if she could do that _again_.

Then she had managed to arrive to the lunch rooms in a rush not to miss the meal when the only seat to open had been right next to the Preventer supervisor.

But with a few hours until landing, Nichol had silently strapped himself into his seat--the one he had swapped so that they could quietly chat while the _kids_ napped.

"... peace for us... and so he can finally do his _girlfriend_..."

Dorothy turned, catching enough of the phrase to suspect the subject. She let her scowl survey the rows of seats but no one seemed to have been looking her direction. _So is that it?_ She dropped her hands into her lap and let her poster slouch. _The miserable little beasts are giving him a hard time?_

"You shouldn't take your problems out on other people," she whispered, loudly enough that he could hardly say he misheard. As he continued to ignore her, Dorothy refused to regret wasting her time on him. And promised she would live in the furthest quarters from the Acting Captain's lodgings, no matter how small or vast the accommodations of Terra proved to be...

***

She heard her name called from the small crowd of Terrans gathering to gawk at the newcomers. New personalities, new humor, new friends, new potential lovers.... the population of Terra had been kept strictly regulated for health and safety issues. But Dorothy's arrival marked the first politician turned public relations agent to represent the Terrans to the media back home.

 _This is home now._ Dorothy smiled when she saw Lucrezia Noin waving Dorothy to move more quickly. The dark-haired woman wasn't a friend exactly, but she was friendly and someone who Dorothy knew already. She had somewhat expected Noin's support to help make smooth the transition to Terran publicist.

"Miss Noin..." Suddenly, she noticed she might have been wrong. "Oh my God..." Dorothy stammered, stopping just short of hugging the other woman. "What? Who... _he_ knocked you up?"

Graciously, Noin pushed back her longer hair and chuckled. "Everyone here is telling me it isn't noticeable yet..."

"They lied." Dorothy found her feet unwilling to move.

"Thanks, I think," Noin squinted, but didn't lose her smile.

"I suppose that means you're not staying here much longer. I can't imagine that you'd want to... let alone that they'd _let you_..." Dorothy struggled against the urge to stammer in shock. Time had been that Dorothy had watched Milliardo Peacecraft continually casting this woman aside, even daring to fight _against her_ , in order to follow his own path. Apparently, Noin's persistence had _conceived_ something more.

"And it's Merquise now... or call me Lucy."

"As if that isn't even more weird." Dorothy couldn't hide her expressions of dismay any longer. First Relena managed to convince everyone else and Heero Yuy that they should be together. Then Trowa vacationed six months away from the circus in order to take Quatre on some secluded holiday that had ended in a legal arrangement. Everything was so predictable, dull, or worse yet--boring.

"The equipment here is rubbish since we're not supposed to get pregnant," Noin... no _Lucy_ admitted, wobbling somewhat until Dorothy matched her pace to the pregnant woman's slower stride. "But there's a good chance we're having twins."

Dorothy tightened her fingers around the handles of her luggage. "Does Relena know?" she hesitated, but asked.

"She'll find out soon enough. Why? Is she keeping secrets from us?" Lucy looked astonished.

"Well, she's not pregnant..." Dorothy laughed, rather too loudly. Then muttered, "Not yet anyway."

***

After accepting an obviously with-child Lucrezia _Merquise_ puttering around with swollen breasts, fits of fatigue and a rosy smile--Dorothy began to notice that she had arrived on Terra. The similarities to Earth astonished her. The sky was blue and the clouds billowed along the breezes which smelled of cut grass. Even the nearest star, affectionately called _Sol_ kept to a familiar pattern gradually marking time across the heavens.

The most notable difference was the wildness. Outside of the space port and the original military base the planet was largely untouched by technology or humanity. While Dorothy observed, Lucrezia chattered on about Terran attributes. Only a few scientists went on excursions and then had enough material to happily keep themselves locked in their laboratories during the brief winter months. When a few of the more absentminded biologists had missed their due-back-by date, Zechs had gone after them.

Then Dorothy understood why Nichol had mobilized some of the fledgling Preventers. The assignment was an excuse to trace the path of the missing biologists and walk them home. Nothing untoward had happened, Zechs (unlike the civilian scientists) knew how to check in (and had a pregnant wife, Dorothy reminded herself). Nonetheless, with nothing better to do, Dorothy and Lucrezia watched half of the new residents hauling luggage toward the Preventer dormitories as the rest followed Nichol on their first planet-side 'mission.' Everyone in both sets wore leis made of native flowers. The whole area was thick with their scent.

***

"As you can guess, we are slated to return to Earth, although part of me likes the idea of having the first human child born in this place. Still, I'm excited for you. We have such lovely memories here," Lucrezia chattered while picking up household items and carrying them around only to put them back where they started. "Given your duel role as Terran citizen _and_ public representative, it makes sense that they'd be assigning you to our apartment here. It's very nice. The location is good... close enough to the military to be part of it, but far enough away that you can't hear their drills... or parties."

Dorothy raised her eyebrow. "So Zechs didn't keep a tight reign on them?"

"He's changed. They're disciplined, but more than simple underlings. He considers them his extended family."

 _Oh she just had to rub her belly exactly then, didn't she?_ Dorothy grimaced around her teeth. "How lovely."

"We don't have a lot to pack," Lucrezia said, glancing around the room. "We'll let you have the furniture of course. And everything in the kitchen."

Dorothy wondered if they actually meant for her to share the space during the transition. The apartment was so small it couldn't be more than the bedroom behind the one door and the living room that spilled into a half-kitchen. If she were lucky, they might have a private bath. "I think I'm going to go explore."

"Don't get lost," Lucrezia chuckled.

"I'll be sure to call," Dorothy heartlessly mimicked the humor. _Maybe I can convince them to move up the return date if she thinks she might deliver in transit..._

Indulging those plots, Dorothy Catalonia stepped out of the quaint residence and looked up. She could see now the edges of glass plating protecting the base from the outside world. This peaceful world had once been an unknown danger too. They still had the walls to prove it.

***

"Oh, Nicky! Go, Captain," whistled one of the Preventer brats as a group of them walked toward the cafeteria. The route took them past where Dorothy and the acting Captain had stopped to exchange greetings.

"Watch it, Raskin," Nichol shouted after them. "We're tight enough on staff. You shouldn't forget who draws up the duty roster."

Dorothy waited.

"Six weeks managing waste control shifts should do the trick," Nichol said smartly, as if his actions--prior, current or after--would do anything to keep the youngsters from ribbing their commanding officer.

"I really don't want to have to make the censoring obvious," Dorothy continued. "So do you think you could monitor your volunteers for the ones who are going to keep their observations clean and positive?"

"They've only been here a month and they don't have to kill anyone. Or think about getting killed." Nichol rubbed the back of his head as if the movement would make him more thoughtful. "Some of them are taking canned college courses for credit when we get back to Earth."

"Those. Those sound good," Dorothy interrupted. She might end up standing with Nichol the entire evening before he wound himself to a conclusion. His personal file indicated that he was a competent supervisor, excellent at training and more than capable of making quality, snap decisions. Still, Dorothy couldn't say she'd seen any indication of _that_ Captain Nichol since the early days of their shuttle ride.

"Do you need me to come over early to help with the... camera? Sound? Does it need lighting?" he suggested. Something about him seemed to vibrate with eagerness.

Dorothy paused, completely wary. "I think I'll be alright, as long as the transmission back to Earth is established successfully..."

"I'm very good with electronics. In any case," Nichol took a step back. "It's a small world. Just shout if you want me..." Then his voice choked off and Dorothy found herself free of his company.

"You were so much more interesting back then," she sighed, not wanting to acknowledge what had occurred

***

"Successful reception," Relena's recorded voice piped just off sync with the image of Dorothy's most unlikely friend. "Everyone especially enjoyed the interviews which added a quite overlooked human touch to the Terra project. I'm estimating at least a steady double increase to the funding we already have in place for next year. The pictures my brother and Lucy brought back were amazing. It made me want to visit, but Heero refused. I'll convince him to see my way eventually. But he's quite taken with little Chad. They named him after Lucrezia's father, did you know him? Anyway, I think Heero's recent _activity_ has been inspired by my nephew."

Dorothy glanced up at the screen and frowned briefly. Relena didn't even have the decency to blush. But then, no one blushed as much as Nichol, so perhaps Dorothy's expectations had shifted accordingly. Realizing she'd missed part of the message, she reached over to rewind the recording.

"They named him after..."

"That's not where I restarted you," Dorothy scolded the equipment and pushed the minutes forward slightly.

"...when you're going to find someone."

"Oh God." Dorothy concentrated on time stamp to find a place _after_ the lengthy lecture on isolationism or Relena's analysis of Dorothy's perceived attempts to withdraw from society.

At the proper marker, Relena began to speak again, "Then the committee agreed that we'd want to approach you for the next election. I know it seems soon to be thinking about running for government--let alone the presidency. But this allowance gives you time to still do what you're doing on Terra and then come back to Earth in time for the campaign," Relena laughed. "Honestly, it couldn't hurt you at all to be your savvy self, even remotely... I'm sure you'd run uncontested and could stay on Terra longer."

"And they'll all say I've become unfamiliar with what Earth wants since I was gone, "Dorothy argued with the equipment. Relena continued, unfazed.

"I'm sure you're rejecting the idea, but let it simmer. I promise you. The notion will grow on you. And I believe that of all people you, Dorothy, could make it a difference. No excuses. I've seen you at your best and your worst..."

"Always my best," Dorothy kicked off her shoes.

"...not the same person you used to be."

"Oh, give it a rest, _Princess,_ " Dorothy would have stopped the message then, but her device had frozen once more with an error message covering the lower half of Relena's stationary face. The woman's eyebrow had been caught as it lifted in a comical fashion and Dorothy's anger lessened somewhat.

"If he even _hears_ about this, then there is no way he'd let anyone else repair it for me," Dorothy considered. She looked around the room and how she'd immediately rearranged it in an effort not to think about the former residents happily married in the same place. _To_ not _think about it_ , Dorothy reminded herself with a quick shake of her head.

If he couldn't repair it, then she'd have to order a replacement.

With no small measure of glee and a dash of self-preservation, Dorothy gracefully lifted the machinery from it's wall mounting and let it fall to the floor with a crash.

***

"I haven't seen you around lately," Nichol waved from across the path. She'd taken the popular shortcut from the supply room and the residential section of the base. Most days she would have avoided the route and taken the paved road, but that morning she'd followed her feet.

"Keeping busy," she replied. Tipping the data file like an excuse, Dorothy set her eyes on the distant light at the end of the ally.

"Hang on." He moved quickly and almost seemed as if he were going to reach for her arm to pull her to him. Then he didn't. "I don't know if the junior officers said anything to you, but really... don't listen to them."

"No one has said anything to me," Dorothy contradicted. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, okay." He glanced to the side with such intensity that Dorothy instinctively made to look as well.

"Okay," she repeated.

"I thought we got along okay before..." he turned back to her then with a shrug. "Before what? I don't know. Listen, all those rumors about me are probably true--but I'm not that guy. Well, I am that guy. Sometimes I think I was more... well, twenty-two was an interesting year. I'm not that guy." His repetition seemed to sooth him while Dorothy felt it wind her anxiety as easily as a heated coil.

"Got it. Not that guy." Dorothy's eyes flickered to the distant light. _Really, what do I expect to be better over there? Freedom? A get-away?_

"So if you're at the cafeteria at the same time, you can come on over," he added with a flourishing lilt in his tone.

"If I'm ever." Dorothy planned not to let that happen. "I'm going to let you in on a secret, Nichol."

The expression in his eyes warmed her with an oddly inappropriate regret. He asked, "A secret-secret? Is this some sort of test?"

"My secrets don't have degrees," she said coolly. "You need to understand something. I've been preoccupied because I'm preparing to run for the ESUN presidential office." _I'm going to really do this?_ "It's nothing against you or the Preventers or Terra, but I have work to follow up on. It leaves me a little distracted."

"Sounds like you need a distraction," he tried weakly. Before she could protest, he built a space between them with his motioning arms. "I get it now. That's amazing... that's..." he grinned. "I'm impressed. I mean, I'd heard that you were a real spitfire back in the day and to think..."

"You heard what?" Dorothy attacked, but on pretense more than anything. She might not use her claws in the same way, but unlike Nichol, Dorothy still very much knew that fundamentally she still remained the Dorothy Catalonia of the past.

He laughed in variable pitches, awkward and light-hearted.

Dorothy left then, but after a quick double-take. He hadn't blushed at all.

***

With Relena's encouragement, Dorothy started writing articles that could be compiled into a political memoir. She went to the office assigned to the Earth liaison, which was hardly larger than her closet in the Catalonia mansion, but it had a window which was better than most of the building-in-a-box structures from which the base had been built.

Nichol had his hands full with overseeing repairs to those original structures still in use. They had contracted workers for those jobs, but lately tensions among the Terra citizens had been on edge. The new Preventers had been a charming change for the first six months, but as the original pioneers and the new settlers spent time together the differences were just as easily creating rifts.

On the walk to her office, Dorothy could watch one of the construction projects. Nichol was already there, shouting, pointing and keeping one hand on his hard helmet as if it might blow away. Supplies were low given the demand for rebuilding, but Dorothy had done what she could to get what they needed from the next scheduled shipment.

"Dorothy!" Nichol had seen her. He made an indecipherable last order to the foreman then jogged to her. "I won't keep you long. Our _secret_ ," his grin echoed the gentle sarcasm. "But I needed an excuse to get away. These guys know how to work, but the manager is a coward. Needs me to swoop in as the _bad guy_ in order for him to chummily encourage the same fellows to do their jobs."

"That's how it is sometimes," Dorothy noted. He still had the hat on which made him look about ten years-old playing dress up. But some dirt had smudged along his cheeks and certainly those shoulders... he was quite taller than her, and she realized that he didn't look young _at all_.

"Ah, yes," he breathed deeply. "You would understand."

"I've got to..."

"Be _presidential_ ," he whispered, jovially lifting his chin to nod under a genuine salute.

***

She normally ordered a meal which would disappear during her media preparations and manipulations; however, the last supply shuttle had a direct order that Dorothy establish a solid rapport with the community on Terra. Truthfully, she knew as much herself. Delaying had been indulgent, if she hadn't done some damage already.

"On Earth, they all know I'm controversial," she discussed with her reflection. "I simply need to get Terra to like that about me. Their loyalty to me will set an example."

 _Nichol_ , she swallowed hard. The fledgling unions didn't like his presence during negotiation but he had their respect. No matter what he said about his reputation, the Preventers support him as their own.

"That's my way in," resolved Dorothy. She had used her friends before.


End file.
